Lima, Peru: A LATAM Airlines Perú Airbus A320 operating flight LA2302 from Lima to Piura suffered a fire on the left side of the aircraft shortly before departure at Jorge Chávez International Airport on October 19, 2026, forcing the passengers to leave the aircraft as a precaution. No injuries were reported, and the flight was later operated to Piura using another aircraft.
The incident occurred at around 5:45 a.m. local time, according to Peru’s Defensoría del Pueblo, while the aircraft was still on the ground at Jorge Chávez. Reports based on flight-tracking and aviation incident data identify the aircraft as an Airbus A320-200, registration CC-BFS, although the registration has not been publicly confirmed by LATAM in its statements. The aircraft was operating the scheduled Lima–Piura domestic service and had not taken off when the emergency developed.
The A320 was lining up for Runway 16R when the left-hand engine began emitting continuous flames. The aircraft stopped and the runway was temporarily closed. Other reports and descriptions referred more generally to a fire involving the aircraft’s left wing/left side, while passenger videos showed flames and heavy smoke beneath the left wing area. Because LATAM has not publicly identified the failed component, the exact source of the fire remains unconfirmed.
The aircraft’s crew and airport emergency personnel responded immediately. Airport firefighters attended the aircraft and controlled the fire before the situation escalated. Peru’s Defensoría del Pueblo said Lima Airport Partners had activated the relevant safety protocols after the emergency was reported. The authority also confirmed that medical personnel from Lima Airport Partners and the Callao regional health service’s international health unit attended the passengers, although no passenger injuries were reported.
LATAM described the incident as an “unforeseen technical event” that occurred before departure. The airline said its teams activated safety protocols and ordered the passengers to be preventively disembarked, with their safety given priority. The airline did not specify the technical failure responsible for the fire and said the circumstances would undergo a technical evaluation.
The exact number of passengers and crew on board has not been disclosed in the official statements and reliable reports reviewed. Reports do confirm that passengers were still inside the aircraft when the fire developed. Members of Peruvian cumbia group Corazón Serrano were among those travelling on the flight and later shared videos and accounts of the incident on social media. Their accounts showed flames and smoke visible from inside the cabin, while emergency crews responded outside the aircraft.
There is also no reliable confirmation that passengers escaped using emergency slides. The available reporting consistently describes the action as passengers being disembarked or evacuated preventively, but does not establish whether they left through normal aircraft doors using airport stairs, another ground-access method or emergency exits. For that reason, the precise evacuation method remains unconfirmed.
The fire meant LA2302 could not continue its scheduled journey to Piura. LATAM arranged alternative transportation for the affected passengers. Aviation incident data indicates that a replacement Airbus A320-200, registration CC-BFR, subsequently operated the service and reached Piura approximately four hours behind the flight’s original schedule. Flight-tracking information cited by AeroCorner indicates that the replacement aircraft departed Lima at about 9:58 a.m. local time and arrived in Piura at about 11:17 a.m.
The original A320, meanwhile, remained at Lima after the incident. The airport confirmed that the emergency was brought under control and that normal airport operations continued, with both runways operating and no reported wider disruption to scheduled arrivals and departures.
Peru’s Indecopi (the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property) also became involved following the incident. Its personnel monitored the airport to verify that LATAM provided timely assistance and clear information to passengers and protected their consumer rights. Indecopi confirmed that the LA2302 service had been reprogrammed following the emergency.
The Defensoría del Pueblo separately said it deployed officials to the airport to monitor the assistance provided to passengers and the actions taken by LATAM and other institutions. The authority called for stronger aviation oversight after noting that the incident was the second LATAM Airlines Perú occurrence in less than a week. It urged Peru’s Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics to strengthen supervision and called on the Aviation Accident Investigation Commission to accelerate investigations into the recent events.
That earlier incident involved LATAM flight LA2424 from Lima to São Paulo, which returned to Lima on October 16 after a pressurisation-related problem. The Defensoría del Pueblo said more than 200 passengers subsequently had to be transferred to another aircraft. There is no indication that the October 16 event and the October 19 A320 fire were connected; they involved different aircraft and different reported technical problems.
As of the latest available information, the cause of the LA2302 fire remains under investigation. LATAM has not publicly identified the failed component or confirmed whether the fire originated specifically inside the engine, its exhaust area or another part of the left-wing assembly. Some aviation reports identify the event as a left-engine fire, while Peruvian authorities and several local outlets describe it as a fire involving the left wing. The available evidence points to the same left-side area, but the precise technical cause should not be stated as established until LATAM or the competent investigators release their findings.
The incident therefore ended without reported injuries, but with the scheduled aircraft removed from service, passengers rebooked and an investigation launched into what caused the fire while the A320 was preparing for departure from Lima.
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